First of all let me say that I love the AMC show. Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun are great in their roles and although the show has had pacing problems it really hit its stride in its excellent third season. I was always going to try to get around to reading the series it was based on and my expectations were not only met, but beaten. This is one of the best graphic novels that I've read in a while, with Garth Ennis revelling in the absurdity of the premise, taking delight in making things as weird and as brutal as possible. By most television show standards, Preacher is on another level of weirdness, but even then, it's nothing compared to the source material.

It did throw me off seeing Tulip as blonde haired after being so used to Ruth Negga's take on the character, but that's expected. It did help me contextualise the episode where Negga wore a blonde wig to rob a bank in Season 3. Steve Dillon's artwork is fantastic and helps fit the tone of the series very well. You can see why they went with Dominic Cooper for the show, the character for Jesse is similiar, as is the storyline even if the comic is a bit more fast-paced. The Southern Gothic feel of the book is really brought to life by Dillon as he crafts a unique vision for the story, and it really helps make the settings of the book so memorable.

The main group of characters is an interesting and dynamic bunch and they are one of the book's biggest strengths. Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy play off each other really well, and I like that this comic holds nothing back, unconstrained by the problems faced by television budgets and mandatory episode counts per season. Its pace is sustained all the way through, and I literally couldn't stop reading this. Whilst a lot of what comes next I was aware about because of the show had already adapted multiple of its storylines in some form or another, it didn't stop it from being very thrilling, leading up to an excellent ending.

The book feels very Quentin Tarantino-esque at times and it's hard not to see the influence of his work on this series, and it's basically a good barometer of whether or not you'll enjoy this book assuming you haven't seen the show. If you like Tarantino's work, you'll dig this book. If not then you probably won't. It's gory and bloody, but that isn't anything new when stacked up against Ennis' other work. On top of that, it manages to make the most out of its set-up in an exciting, fresh and unique way.

Preacher, even read for the first time all these years later, is a remarkably good book. Hopefully it won't be long before I can pick up Vol. 2.